Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 Laura Burton (books to read this summer .TXT) 📖

ignore the phone vibrating on the passenger seat of the Mercedes Benz, as she clutched the leather steering wheel for dear life. The wipers sped back and forth across the windscreen on the fastest setting but did little to clear her vision of the dark road. She squinted through the lashings of water hitting the window and tried to take shallow breaths to stop fogging up the glass.

She was just wondering how this day could get any worse when the engine made an odd judder that she had never heard before.

“No, no. Come on, please don’t break down.”

She stomped on the gas pedal as the engine fell silent and an eerie stillness followed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she declared as the car rolled to a stop. Catherine huffed and turned her hazard lights on with a grumble. “Great. Just great.” She picked up her phone and looked at the screen.

Nine missed calls.

The car swayed slightly away from the heavy stream of traffic passing by. It was not wise to stay in a broken-down vehicle in the middle of traffic, especially in a thunderstorm. She grabbed her raincoat and pulled it over her head as she pushed open the door.

Catherine had never noticed the sound of rain before. But as the door flung open with a gust of wind, the heavy thudding was so loud it quickened her heartbeat. It was as if she had just walked into a shower on its most intense setting. The unearthly roar of the traffic and intense LED lights in the dark night sent Catherine’s senses into overdrive. She stumbled to the railings and clung onto the wet metal with one hand as she squinted through the rain to look at her phone.

No signal.

“Of course,” she barked into the storm, waving her phone above her head as if her arm could act as an antenna and magically boost her signal. To her dismay, the gesture didn’t work and her beautifully styled dark hair was drenched.

“Hey there, need a hand?”

Catherine almost dropped her phone at the deep voice, calm and sure amongst the chaos as she whipped round to see the owner of it. A tall man towered over her with a casual smirk on his chiselled face. He was wearing a dark jacket and his jet-black hair shone in the streetlamps. A tall, dark and handsome stranger to the rescue.

How predictable, Catherine thought to herself as she studied the man. The downpour of constant rain had already soaked her to the bone, her raincoat clung to her arms like a second skin.

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Catherine shouted back, flashing her teeth at him. At that moment, her smile slipped as she lost grip of the metal railing and stumbled backwards with a yelp. The stranger leapt forward and grasped her back, blinking raindrops out of his lashes as he beamed at her. Catherine gawped at him, clutching his firm biceps as she tried to ignore the fact that this mysterious man was embracing her like a long-lost lover.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Now he was closer, his deep voice rumbled against her eardrums. As if vibrations ran through his fingers to her whole body. She pushed her hands against his chest, and he let go.

“I’m fine. Don’t touch me,” Catherine said as she brushed off her pant legs with trembling hands. Her phone clattered to the ground.

“Let me––ouch!”

Catherine and the mystery man stooped down at the same time to collect the phone and had bumped heads. Catherine wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

Who is this guy?

She wondered if he was a true gentleman with no ulterior motive other than to help a person in need. Or a creep looking to take advantage of a vulnerable woman, broken down just outside New York City.

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to help,” he said, his brows pinched together as he puckered his lips as if expecting to have his photograph taken. The rain faded to a light spray and Catherine threw back her hood. She glanced at the phone on the floor before eyeing the man shrewdly. Dark hair curled around his ears and his baby blue eyes twinkled at her.

“I can take care of myself,” she said, indignant. She retrieved the phone from the road and looked at the screen. Still no signal.

The man folded his arms, his jacket scrunched up at the shoulders and a large dimple appeared on his left cheek as he grinned.

“I see that,” he said.

Catherine marched back to her car, puddles splashing under her feet. The man waited as she climbed in and tried to turn the ignition on again.

“Hmm, that’s not good.”

Catherine jumped and turned back to see the man stooping down to see inside the car.

“Do you mind?” She straightened and gave the man a hard look. His almond shaped baby blues creased, and he backed away with his hands in the air.

“Do you need gas?” he asked. “I’ve got some in my trunk.”

Catherine tilted her head to the side.

“No, this is electric. It doesn’t use gas.”

“Really?” The man stepped forward with his brows knitted together. Catherine flinched and he stopped. “I thought this was the hybrid model.” He scratched his chin in thought as Catherine blinked at him, thinking.

“A what?”

The man snapped out of his thoughts and offered his hand. Startled, Catherine automatically took it, surprised at the roughness of his skin.

“I’m sorry. You’ll have to forgive me. I’m Edward, and I’m a—mechanic. I saw you broken down and thought I could be of some assistance.”

They shook hands and Catherine’s shoulders relaxed.

Oh, he’s a mechanic. Not a predator.

“I’m Catherine. Sorry. I don’t usually appreciate strangers coming onto me in situations like these.”

Edward’s brow raised as he smirked at her.

“Coming onto you?”

Catherine cleared her throat and let out a nervous laugh.

“You were saying something about a hybrid? Do you know what’s wrong with my car?” she said, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from her misreading his signals.

Edward nodded and walked away. Catherine watched him